The Birthday Moment
by RunningfromDarkness
Summary: It's Katniss' birthday, and Gale has a special way of making her day.  AU-Hunger Games.  Slight touch of Katniss/Gale, little fluffy.


**Just a happy, sort of fluffy moment with Katniss and Gale. Enjoy!**

The sun was just peeking up over the horizon when I slipped outside, my bow slung over my shoulder. Gale would undoubtedly be waiting at our usual spot. He tended to get up early on Sundays, especially in the winter. A light snow had fallen during the night, and it crunched under my boots as I walked quietly to the fence. My breath hung in the air, water droplets clinging to my scarf. It was cold out, but I didn't mind. Well, I sort of did, only because prey was scarcer in winter. My game bag was slung over my shoulder, a couple apples inside for Gale and I to eat later.

I ducked under the fence, pausing only a moment to check for a hum. The forest was still, quiet, serene. It was rather nice. Out in the woods, I could say that I was happy. Hunting with Gale, just the two of us, there was nothing like it. It was just so peaceful out in the woods, and out there, we could talk, laugh, yell, do whatever, and no one would know.

I soon reached our rock, our usual meeting place. Gale was leaning against it, looking slightly bored. He glanced up as I appeared, a small grin on his face.

"Late as usual Katniss."

"I'm not late. You're just early." He chuckled, and we headed off to check our snare traps. It took about an hour and half to check every trap, and reset them. In the winter, they tended not to catch a lot, so every bit counted. Today we did rather well, several of the traps having some prey. As soon as we finished, my stomach rumbled, reminding me I hadn't eaten anything since last night.

I pulled out the apples, handed one to Gale, and began eating, the sweetness spreading across my tongue.

"Where do you want to hunt today?" I asked Gale between bites.

"You decide." He replied, munching on his apple. I thought a moment.

"The pond. We can do a little fishing, carve a hole in the ice." I decided, but to my surprise, Gale refused.

"No, I really don't feel like fishing. Besides, we aren't likely to catch much." Gale sometimes disagreed with me on where to hunt, but usually not outright, and never because he didn't feel like it. He always had a good reason. Shrugging though, I let the matter drop.

"The pine trees then. Use our bows." I said instead.

"Works for me." We trekked through the trees, soon reaching one of our common spots. We took stake in a tree, waiting for prey to wander by. This was the most tedious part of hunting. Whereas Gale had endless patience, I sometimes got irritated or bored waiting for prey to wander by. But it was necessary. You had to sit perfectly still, and when an animal ventured out, shoot it with an arrow. After a couple hours though, we gave up. All we had to show for our efforts was a squirrel. And it was well into the afternoon, time to head back and do some trading. On our way back to the fence, Gale stopped.

"Hang on a sec, I think I see a squirrel." He disappeared into the bushes, but didn't reappear after a moment. I was getting impatient, but knew that if I called out his name, I'd scare the prey away. Finally though, he came back out.

"Sorry, missed it, then spilled my prey on the ground." He said. I eyed him.

"What's up with you today? You're acting weird."

"Must be the cold. It's getting to me." Gale replied, looking indifferent to my stare. Shaking my head, we soon reached the fence, and headed for the Hob. Today had been slow, but we still had a bit to show for our efforts. We spread our trades around, getting a few items each of our families needed, as well as keeping a couple pieces of prey for ourselves.

It was around 4 o'clock when we finally finished, and as we reached the Seam, started to head off towards our separate houses.

"Katniss?" Gale called, and I glanced back. "Happy Birthday." He said with a small smile then, turned, and walked in the direction towards his house. I couldn't help but smile in return. That was Gale's way. Quiet, dignified, not making a big fuss, and yet making you feel so special all at the same time. When I reached our house, I dropped my bag on the floor, and slid off my boots. My mother and Prim were there to greet me.

"Here, I'll take this Katniss. Go get a bath. You could use one." Prim said, wrinkling her nose.

"Thanks." I said sarcastically, ruffling her hair playfully.

"Take your time Katniss. Dinner won't be for a while, and a bath would do you good." My mother said.

"It does sound rather nice." I replied, and slipped upstairs. We didn't bathe every night, but did make an effort to look decent. After scrubbing myself clean in the tub, I braided my hair back, and discovered an outfit laid out on my bed, dark pants, and a light shirt. Odd. My mother never picked out my clothes. She had stopped doing that when I was 6-years-old. But I put it on anyway, and when I walked downstairs, found a surprise waiting for me. Gale, Hazelle, and the kids were waiting at the table, along with my mother and Prim.

"Happy Birthday Katniss." My mother said with a smile. My mouth widened into sort of an O.

"You guys didn't have to do anything. Really." I said.

"Doing nothing on your birthday? Really Katniss." Hazelle scoffed, and I laughed. Gale gave me smile.

Dinner was a delicious stew, with meat and vegtables, and real bread on the side. I knew my mother had to have saved up for this meal, and Gale probably gotten then bread, one of his trades with the baker. It was a happy time, everyone laughing and smiling, even Gale. There wasn't much chance to celebrate in the Seam, so when you could, it was a real treat. But the surprises didn't stop there. My mother brought out a small cake, with actual icing. I gasped.

"Mom! How did you manage to get this?"

"A little bargaining with the baker. He does have a soft spot for you and Gale. And when I told him it was your birthday, well, he gave in." She replied.

"I'll make sure to thank him then, and be a little generous the next time I trade with him." I said. My mother cut into the cake, giving everyone a small, but equal slice. To me, it was heaven. We never got cake. Never. The day was really turning out to be perfect.

"Presents time!" Prim announced as soon as the cake had been finished.

"Oh Mom, really. This is too much. The cake was enough of a present." My mother smiled.

"Don't protest Katniss. It's not much, but goodness knows, you deserve it with how hard you and Gale work to provide for both our families." I blushed in spite of myself. Hazelle and the kids gave me a pair of gloves. They were used, but didn't look it, and were incredibly warm. And my old ones were getting holes.

"Oh Hazelle, thank you." I said, smiling. Prim gave me a necklace, a cobalt blue rock dangling from a string.

"It looked like you." Prim said. "I found it by the fence the other day."

"It's wonderful Prim." I said, giving her a hug. Really, I had never had a use for jewelry, but Prim was right. The necklace did look like me, not at all girly.

"You'll get my present later Catnip." Gale said.

"Gale, I don't need anything." I protested. And I didn't. Just him being here to celebrate with me was more than enough.

"Trust me, I'm going to enjoy this just as much as you." He replied. My mother's present had been the cake, and then Hazelle noticed the kids were yawning.

"I better get these guys to bed. Katniss, Happy Birthday."

"Thanks Hazelle." I replied, giving her an affectionate hug. "And thanks so much for the gloves."

"Oh, you're welcome." After a few more goodbyes, Hazelle got the kids hustled out the door. She glanced at Gale.

"I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, I'll be home sometime later."

"Don't stay out too late. Night Katniss." I stared at Gale. "Where are you going?"

"We are going somewhere. Grab your coat and boots."

"Gale-"

"Just do it." I glanced at my mother, who gave a sly smile, and just turned to gather up the dishes. Shrugging, I slipped on my boots, put on my jacket and gloves, and followed Gale out the door. He led me under the fence, and towards the woods. We had walked a ways, when he stopped me.

"Close your eyes." I did as he asked, and felt his arms around my shoulders as he led me through the trees. A couple minutes later, he released me.

"Open." I did, and my eyes widened as I saw the scene before me. We were by the lake, it having completely frozen over. The moon and stars were out, and cast a soft light out onto the ice. The night was calm, and beautiful, the view breathtaking.

"Come on Catnip." Gale took my hand, and led me out onto the ice. With his arm around my waist, he guided me around the edge, sliding along on our boots.

"Oh Gale. This is wonderful."

"Like it?" He replied, grinning a little. I suddenly hit a bump, and tumbled over, yanking Gale down with me. I started laughing, and Gale laughed along with me. He got back up, helping me up, and we continued to skate around on the ice. To an outsider, we could have just been 2 normal kids, having a fun evening. And for a little while, we were. We forgot about hunting, about the Capitol, about District 12. We just laughed, and talked, and really, had fun.

The times Gale laughed were sparse and few, but that night, he laughed probably more than he ever had. He was enjoying this just as much as me. The moon provided enough light to see by, the stars twinkling right along with it.

"I wish this night never had to end." I murmured.

"I wish it didn't have to either." Gale had his arm around my waist as we slowly slid across the ice. I leaned against his shoulder, feeling his arm tighten around me. It was peaceful, magical, so special. The fact that Gale would do this for me really touched me. He had to have checked to makes sure the ice was solid, and clear away any debris.

Finally, we knew we had to go. So we skated around one last time, neither of us saying a word, just quietly skating together. We slid over to the bank, and Gale helped me climb over the mound of snow.

"Gale." He looked at me, and took his hands in mine. "Thank you. This was better than any present I could have gotten. I can't remember the last time I've had so much fun. I'll never forget this night." I said, looking into his eyes.

He smiled. "I enjoyed it just as much as you Katniss. And you deserved something special."

"Thank you so much Gale. This night has been amazing." I reached for him, and pulled him into a close hug. We trekked back through the trees, soon reaching the fence. It was late, and no one was out. Gale walked me to my house, and just as I was about to go inside, he stopped me.

"Happy 15th Birthday Katniss." He said as he leaned over, and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Then he turned, and quietly disappeared into the darkness. I stood there for a few minutes, not wanting to lose that feeling of happiness, and contentment that had briefly visited me. But after a moment, I turned, and slipped inside, a soft, quiet smile on my face.

**So, what do you think? Make sure to review!**


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